Threaded adaptor for lugged pipe ends



June 5, 1962 J. E. ROBB THREADED ADAPTOR FOR LUGGED PIPE ENDS Filed 001, 2, 1959 m y W Tfi f fi 3 Wm 0 I z a j s fl, A

States THREADED ADAPTOR FOR LUGGED PIPE ENDS This invention relates to an arrangement for attaching fluid-conducting parts to one another. More particularly, it relates to adaptor parts enabling a tubular member with lugs to be connected to a valve.

It has been customary to close a reactor coolant tube by means of a cap with bayonet slots applied to lugs on a tubular member attached to the discharge end of the coolant tube, as shown in Morris Patent 2,863,817 dated December 9, 1958. A plurality of such coolant tubes along with graphite moderator through which the tubes extend and fuel elements positioned in the tubes with spaces between the slugs and tubes for coolant to flow through may constitute a reactor of the type shown in FIGS. 37, 38, and 39 of Fermi et al. Patent 2,708,656, dated May 17, 1956.

Under certain circumstances of reactor operation, it becomes highly desirable to replace the caps on the tubes with valves, so that coolant may be kept flowing through the coolant tubes while fuel elements are being removed therefrom.

The present invention enables the lugs otherwise used to attach the caps for closing the coolant tubes to remain and to be employed for attaching valves to the coolant tubes in place of the caps. It would be difficult and costly to remove the lugs or the tubular members directly carrying the lugs and connected to the discharge ends of the coolant tubes.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan View, partly in section, showing how a valve is attached to the discharge end of a reactor coolant tube, in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

The discharge end of a reactor coolant tube 10 is attached to one end of a tubular member 11. The other end of the tubular member 11 is attached so as to be sealed against leakage, to a valve 12, comprising a body 13 and a gate 14, mounted therein for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the drawing for opening and closing.

Attached to the valve 12 is a fuel-element guide 15 in the form of a tubular section that curves into the plane of the drawing, so as to guide downwardly fuel elements being discharged from the coolant tube 11 through the tubular member 11 and the valve 12. A conduit 16 is connected at one end of the tubular member 11 and at the other end to a discharge header (not shown), so that, even when the valve 12 is closed, coolant water flows from the tube 10 through the tubular member 11 and conduit 16 to the discharge header.

The tubular member 11 carries three lugs 17 spaced 120 from one another about the tubular member. The lugs 17 are attached either directly to the tubular member 11 or directly to a collar 18 quasi-permanently attached to the tubular member 11, because presumably the tubular member 11 was designed for use, or was actually used, with a closing cap such as disclosed in the aforementioned Morris patent, rather than with the valve 12.

The lugs 17 are received in three equally spaced bayonet or J-slots 19 formed in a retainer ring 26, which lies atent ice- Within a short sleeve 21. This sleeve has an internal shoulder 22 which abuts the inner end of the retainer ring 20 and has three equally spaced longitudinaI slots 23. The sleeve 21 has an external thread engaging an internal thread on the adjacent end of the valve body 3. The sleeve 21 also has external gear teeth 24 engageable by a pinion 25 on the end of a tool 26, which rotates the sleeve 21, causing it to act through its threaded connection with the valve body 13 to produce a tight sealing engagement between the end of the tubular member 11 and an annular seal 27 carried within the valve body 13.

At the outset, the retainer ring 20 is connected to the sleeve 21 by a shear pin 28, which aligns the slots 23 in the sleeve 21 with the long legs of the J-slots 19, which legs extend longitudinally and have open ends at the inner end of the ring 20. The assembly of ring 20 and sleeve 21 thus pinned together is partially threaded into the valve body 13, the ends of the threads on the valve body 13 and the sleeve 21 being blunt to facilitate the start of the threading operation. Next, the valve 12 and the pinned assembly of retainer ring 20 and sleeve 21 is applied to the tubular member 11, so that the lugs 17 therein pass through the slots 23 in the sleeve 21 and the long legs of the J-slots 19 in the retainer ring 20 as far as the bases of the J-slots 19.

Now the tool 26 is applied through a hole 29 in the valve body 13 so that the pinion 25 engages the gear teeth 24. The tool 26 is rotated and causes the sleeve 21 and the retainer ring 20 to rotate. During initial rotation the valve 12 is pulled somewhat onto the tubular member 11 and the lugs 17 on the tubular member 11 pass through the bases of the J-slots 19 in the retainer ring 20 to the short legs of the J-slo-ts. During further rotation of the tool 26 the pin 28 shears, since the retainer ring 20 can rotate no further because the lugs 17 on the tubular member 11 are in the short legs of the J-slots 19, at the ends of the bases thereof in the ring 20. Said further rotation of the sleeve 21 is continued until the seal 27 in the valve body 13 is brought into engagement with the end of the tubular member 11.

The sleeve 21 is held on the tubular member 11 by virtue of the contact between the retainer ring 20 and the internal shoulder 22 of the sleeve 21. The retainer ring 20 cannot be dislodged by being rotated backward, since the pressure of the internal shoulder 22 of the sleeve 21 against the retainer ring 20 keeps the lugs 17 in the short legs of the J-slots 19 in the retainer ring 20.

The intention is to limit the invention only within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. For use with a tubular member having attaching lugs and a valve having a thread at one end; an assembly for attaching the valve to the tubular member through the lugs of the tubular member and the thread of the valve, said assembly comprising a short sleeve having an internal shoulder, a thread engaging the thread of the valve, and internal longitudinal slots through which the lugs of the tubular member pass as the sleeve and valve are applied to the tubular member; a retainer ring located within the sleeve and between the sleeve and the valve, one end of the ring axially abutting the internal shoulder of the sleeve, the ring being provided with J-slots having their long legs extending longitudinally with their ends open at the said one end of the ring, the J-slots receiving the lugs of the tubular member; and a shear pin connecting the sleeve and the retainer ring to align the slots of the sleeve with the long legs of the J-slots of the ring; whereby initial rotation of the sleeve rotates the ring into locking position in which the lugs of the tubular member are in the short legs of the J-slots of the ring for locking the ring and sleeve on the tubular member, and further rotation of the sleeve also acts through the thread of the sleeve and the thread of the valve to shear the pin between the ring and the sleeve and to draw the valve into engagement with the tubular member.

2. For use with a tubular member having attaching lugs and a valve having an internal thread at one end; an assembly for attaching the valve to the tubular member through the lugs thereof and the internal thread of the valve, said assembly comprising a short sleeve having an internal shoulder, an external thread, engaging the internal thread on the valve, external gear teeth for rotating the sleeve by a gear type of tool, and internal longitudinal slots through which the lugs on the tubular member pass as the sleeve and valve are applied to the tubular member; a retainer ring located within the sleeve and between the sleeve and the valve, one end of the ring axially abutting the internal shoulder of the sleeve, the ring being provided with J-slots having their long legs extending longitudinally with their ends open at the said one end of the ring, the J-slots receiving the lugs on the tubular member; and a shear pin connecting the sleeve and the retainer ring so as to align the slots in the sleeve and the long legs of the J-slots of the ring; whereby initial rotation of the sleeve rotates the ring into a locking position in which the lugs on the tubular member are in the short legs of the J-slots in the ring for locking the ring and sleeve on the tubular member, and further rotation of the sleeve also acts through the thread on the sleeve and the thread on the valve to shear the pin between the ring and the sleeve and to draw the valve into engagement with the tubular member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 283,975 Converse Aug. 28, 1883 1,115,007 Neumeister Oct. 27, 1914 1,948,028 Edwards Feb. 20, 1934 2,194,973 Durant Mar/26, 1940 2,863,817 Morris Dec. 9, 1958 

